Explore records, photographs, and stories from the people and places that shaped our community.
Search Our DatabaseWelcome to the Benton County Historical Society & Museum
Preserving the stories, artifacts, and heritage of Benton County, Minnesota since 1949.
📅 Today in History
United States
• 1785 Benjamin Franklin announces his invention of bifocals
• 1903 The first automobile trip across US from San Fransisco to New York
Minnesota
• The hardwood forest once known as the Big Woods shaped eastern Minnesota.
• Minnesota entered the Union on May 11, 1858, as the 32nd state.
Benton County
• Early Benton County precincts included Sauk Rapids, Swan River, and Crow Wing.
• Another influenza outbreak hit Benton County in early 1919.